Film on rivalry of tennis greats Borg and McEnroe premiers in Stockholm

Reuters Staff

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FILE PHOTO - Tennis players Sweden's Bjorn Borg (L) and John McEnroe of the U.S. stand during the presentation ceremony of masters senior tennis tournament in central Madrid April 13, 2007. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The film “Borg McEnroe”, which traces the fierce rivalry between tennis greats Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe on and off the court, premiered in Swedish capital Stockholm on Monday.

The movie, starring Swedish actor Sverrir Gudnason as Borg and American Shia LaBeouf as McEnroe, centers on the battle between the two in the 1980 Wimbledon men’s singles final.

That hard-fought duel, which was won by Borg in the fifth and final set, is widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis matches in history.

Borg and McEnroe were often seen as polar opposites in terms of on-court personality. While Sweden’s Borg always remained calm and focused, his fiery American rival was famed for his on-court tantrums and tirades at tournament umpires.

“I think the actors did a great job,” Borg told Reuters at the premiere in Stockholm. “It’s strange to see yourself on the screen, but I‘m really happy with the movie.”

The film opens to the general public in Sweden on Friday and will be screened at the Toronto Film Festival this week.

Veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard also star as Borg’s coach Lennart Bergelin, while Borg’s son Leo plays his father as a boy.

In the Nordic region the film’s title will be simply “Borg”, a spokeswoman for the distributor said.

Reporting by Ilze Filks; Additional reporting by Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Niklas Pollard and David Goodman